Rail-joint.



ALEXANDER R. FITZGERALD, 0F MONTEIBELLO, VIRGINIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Julyjl'Y, 191W.

Application filed October 31, 1916. Serial No. 128,754.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER R. Frrz- GERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montebello, in the county of Nelson and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the followingis a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved rail joint, and has for an. object to provide a joint wherein the lateral and verprovide a rail joint wherein the meeting ends of the rails are similarly formed so that the rails need not be turned to bring any specified ends together.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be brought out in the following detail description of the present preferred embodiment of this invention, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the meeting ends of rails joined together with my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the rail ends;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the said rail end.

Referring to this drawing, each rail is provided with the usual base flange 10, vertically disposed web 11 and the rail head or tread portion 12.

The base flange 10 is provided at its end with longitudinally extending lugs 13 and 14, the same being of substantially one-half the thickness of the base flange 10 and having their opposite upper and lower faces 15 beveled. The web 11 is provided with a longitudinally extending tongue 16 which has one side lying in the plane of the adja cent side of the web 11, and which has its opposite side 17 beveled outwardly to the end of the tongue, the side or face 17 having at its inner end a vertically extending shoulder 18 providing an abutment for the extlremity of the tongue 16 of the opposite rai The head 12 of the rail is provided with a longitudinal extension 19 beveled at one side, as at 20, to taper the projection 19 outwardly, and provided with a vertically ex tending shoulder 21 at the inner end of the beveled face 20. The web 11 and tongue 16 are provided with bolt receiving openings 22 therein adapted to receive bolts 23 which clamp fish plates 24 against the opposite sides of the meetingends of the rails when the joint is assembled.

The joint is shown assembled in Figs. 1 and 2, and from these figures it will be noted that the rail head extensions 19 overlap laterally, the inclined faces 20 thereof abutting, and the extremities of the extensions 19 engaging the shoulders 21 of the opposite rail ends. The tongues 16 also overlap laterally and the inclined faces 17 thereof abut, and the ends of the tongues 16 bear against the opposite shoulders 18. The outer ends of the tongues 16 lie beneath the rail heads 12 and beneath the extensions 19 thereof, preventing the vertical displacement of the rail ends from one another. For this purpose, the tongues 16 are extended beyond the outer ends of the extensions 19 of the rail heads, and the shoulders 18 are located inwardly of the shoulders 21.

The lugs 13 and 14 of the opposed base flanges 10 of the rails overlap and thus interlock the meeting ends of the bases to hold the same from vertical displacement from one another. It will also be noted that the inner sides of the lugs 13 and 14 are beveled inwardly or toward each other, as at 25, to hold the lugs 18 and 14 from shifting laterally upon each other. The bolts 23 pass through the fish plates 24 to secure them in position, and also pass through the webs 11 of the rails and the tongues 16 to hold the rails from shifting longitudinally apart, and to hold the tongues 16 together.

It is of course understood that various, changes and modifications may be made in this structure of rail joint without departing from the spirit of the present invention, such changes and modifications being re stricted only by the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a rail joint, a rail end having longitudinally projecting and oppositely beveled lugs at the base thereof, having a longitudinal extension on the head of the rail with an inclined'i-lateralfac'e and a vertical shoulder at the inner endof said face, and

having a longitudinally extending tongue in the plane of the Web of the rail, said tongue being provided with an inclined lat-'- eral face and a vertical shoulder at the inner end of said face.

2. rail joint comprising the meeting. ends of rails having overlapping and oppositely beveled lugs upon the base flanges thereof, longitudinally extending tongues projecting from the webs of the rails and provided With opposed inclined faces adapted to overlap and'abut, and havingv vertical shoulders atthe inner ends of said faces toreceive the ends of the tongues thereagainst,

and extensions projecting from the ends of h the faces to receive the extremities of the extensions thereagainst, said shoulders of the tongues being arranged inwardly of the shoulders-of the extensions, and said tongues being of greater length than the extenslons to provide overhanging portions above the tongues to prevent the vertical displacement of the same.

In testimony whereof I amx my signature in the' presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER 1t. FITZGERALD.

Witnesses:

D. J. PowELL, W. A. SMITH.

i Copies of this-patent may be obtained for: five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

